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Where did Cars for Keeps go?

Stijn of Grand Haven asked, "What happened to Cars for Keeps? One day they are here with packed-out bays and plenty of cars in the lot, and even acquiring Dr. Phil's Auto Clinic."

Mark Brooky

Grand Haven

Mar 29, 2013

ANSWER:

As we reported on our Business page in February, the automotive repair company closed its flagship facility in Grand Haven, after shutting down its Spring Lake facility last year.

The outgoing message for the answering machine at Cars for Keeps, 1050 Fulton Ave., states: “Cars for Keeps is now closed. We have gone out of business.”

The Tribune left several messages for owner Rob Hopp on his cellphone, but he did not return our calls.

Hopp started the automotive repair business as Automotive Advantage in Ferrysburg in 1990.

Cars for Keeps opened a second location at 14747 Cleveland St. in Spring Lake Township in 2011. That facility closed this past fall.

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Comments

I wish they were still around since Preferred Ford on Beacon sold me a lemon and then refuses to do anything to fix the car. It's a Ford Fusion that has had the infamous transmission failures, and loss of power/electrical issues that affect the majority of these cars. Mine started slipping badly (feels like the car goes into neutral while accelerating), and locking up when slowing down (the transmission will actually lock up the front wheels when slowing down getting off the highway). Preferred, and Ford corporate state there is nothing wrong and its perfectly normal operation for the vehicle. It has been there six times since new and they refuse to even log it into OASIS (I'm guessing to prevent documentation that may show cause for a lemon-law buyback).

I'm sure Cars for Keeps could have gotten to the bottom of the problem...

CFK ruined our Saab for us. They did a routine oil change b4 we went to Chicago to catch a flight to the Caribbean. Made it to Chi, gone for 2 weeks, car parked in a secure lot. Back in at 12:30 am (AM), we start home and the car dies on the Dan Ryan in the worst place in the world. They tow us off the DR to the 1st exit, to a dumpy gas station where we find NO OIL in the engine and wait for 3 hours locked in a freezing car with our kid for someone with a car trailer to come pick us up from GH. People banging on our windows wanting money, one even tried to get in the back with my daughter. CFK had not tightened the oil drain plug back up, and all the oil had run back out! Of course they denied it and we were stuck with the bill. It cost us $5k for a new engine, and NO I did not have them install it! I, for one, am just fine with them being gone.

I am not surprised that they went out of business. I was taken for quite a ride (pun intented) the first and only time they worked on one of my cars. I'd be careful not to let Rob (ironic, huh) Hopp near any of my vehicles.